Do you need to amp up your system security?

5 key areas that signal system weakness

Do you think your website is running smoothly? You may be sporting all the latest features, but let me tell you now, no matter how advanced or cool your website is, it will all be for nothing if you have weak system security. Here are 5 red flags that, no matter what size your organization or business is, you shouldn’t be ignoring. These are clear signs of weak system security and what will happen if you do not address the issue. 

1. Slow Network Performance. This is one indicator of poor system performance that you shouldn’t ignore. Bugs are defects common to all software. But we aren't looking at the small bugs that cause incorrect renderings. You should be more concerned about the bugs that lead to complete system failure. These bugs could leave you vulnerable. Leading you to the hands of hackers and cyberattacks. These events can hurt you and your audience through the loss of privacy, money, or even identities. 

2. Unsuccessful login attempts or login failures. If you try and try again and you know you’ve input the right information, maybe the problem isn’t a typo. You should be looking into your system and to be certain your system security hasn't left you compromised. 

3. New files of unknown origins. This is a clear indicator that your data might be at risk. A 3rd party may have something to do with this. Your sensitive data are prone to be viewed or vandalized even without your authorization. These risks may oftentimes lead to wiping out of data.

4. Discrepancies from your online management software. If you are skipping out on updates, you should be thinking twice about this to improve your security. Updates are there to help strengthen your system and skipping might put you at a higher risk.  Your online management software is one of the first entry points of hackers. Leaving this vulnerable to them can cause a cyberattack. There was a recent hack of many US government agencies through online management software.

5. Buffer Overflow. This happens when you overload your system and put too much data for a too-small memory. This leaves you vulnerable. For overwriting the storage capacity of any given program, it can spark a malfunctioning of the system. It corrupts the data allow for malicious code. In some cases, hackers may use such malicious code to take control of your system.